Have you ever considered the fitness level of your customer service department?  I’m not talking about how many push-ups or sit-ups they can do.  I’m asking if the customer service your team is providing is running at full speed.  If you haven’t given this much thought, you might not be seeing the big picture issues that could be hurting your business.  There are many components in developing a fitness program to help an individual hit their peak performance.  Your customer service department also has many components that need to be maintained to make sure you are giving the best customer service you can.  The skills your customer service department needs may vary a little from business to business but I’m going to bring out a couple of main skills that are necessary for your customer service team to reach an optimal level of customer service.  Here are some of the questions you can ask to see if you are succeeding or where improvements need to be made:

How Do They Sound?

This is actually far more important than what you may think. The voices of your customer service representatives are often the first impression that a customer receives from your company. Are they positive, professional, and upbeat, or do they sound bored and disinterested?  At one of the first companies I worked for, we had small mirrors on our desks that read, “Can Your Smile Be Heard?”  It was a great reminder that the sound of your voice makes a big impression on your customer. Make some calls and find out for yourself how your team rates. If you’re hearing less than ideal voices on the line, guess what? Your customers are, too!

What Do They Say?

Does your team have the necessary training, keywords, or call guide so that they’re prepared and know what to say? If not, you’re making it more difficult for your team and creating an environment where miscommunication is likely to occur. You don’t want your customer service team giving mixed messages to customers as it will lower your credibility and cause you to lose customers.  Take the time to provide them with the words to guide them through their phone calls. No, they don’t need to recite a script, but an outline or suggestions of what to say will go a long way to making your customer service consistent and clear.

What is Their Attitude?

Are your customer service reps happy with their job and with your company?  Do you offer incentives and recognition for jobs well done?  If not, I would recommend making some changes.  Employee dissatisfaction can dramatically affect a company’s customer service and ultimately its bottom line. If your team feels underappreciated or negative, your customers will know.  Whether they communicate this directly or indirectly, a negative attitude of an unhappy worker can not be masked. 

Is Their Workspace Pleasant?

Is your customer service team in a nice area?  Do they have comfortable desks, sunlight and good lighting?  Or do you have them shoved into a dark corner?  It always amazes me when companies choose the worst location for their customer service team.  These are the individuals who are on the front-line talking to customers on a daily basis.  It is important to make sure they are happy in their work environment!  If you need to make some changes, get your team involved and ask them for tips in enhancing their working environment. 

Are You Hiring the Right People for the Job?

Who you hire can make all of the difference. A good customer service rep should give each customer a warm greeting, not allow prejudices to influence their quality of service, be a good listener and always keep the conversation on a professional level.  You may have other important traits for your company but just make sure your reps mesh well with the company’s image and philosophy. 

Are You Keeping Them Fresh and Updated?

Training your customer service team and all employees in general should not be limited to when they are first hired.  Enhancing your employees skills throughout their career with your company is important and makes sure your team is knowledgeable and up to date on everything they need to know. 

Are They Cross-Selling and Up-Selling?

Your customer service department should be an extension of your sales team.  They may be the only people talking to your current customer base outside of the sales team.  Can you find ways for them to increase your ROI?  In one of my former companies, we would ask the customer if there was any financing or leasing we could help them with each time they called into customer service.  Even if the sales person had talked to them 3 weeks ago sometimes we would just catch that customer at the right time.  Give your customer service team the ability to cross-sell and up-sell and then give them incentives for making any additional sales.  You will see your sales and bottom line increase.

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